Remember Vanderbilt? Well, if the Commodores aren't coming to mind quickly, then you're not alone.
Vandy has to be one of the least talked about returning Sweet 16 teams, but why?
The Commodores did lose key players Derrick Byars and Dan Cage and a solid reserve in Ted Skuchas.
But let it be known that the Commodores are hardly devoid of talent. Vandy has a real shot in what should be a wide-open race behind Tennessee in the SEC East and could possibly finish second overall in the conference.
Vandy returns a pair of guards in Shan Foster and Alex Gordon who would rival anyone else's in the league, save Tennessee. The interior will be a slew of role players with Ross Neltner, Alan Metcalfe and the sleeper in the bunch, 6-10 Australian A.J. Ogilvy, who could be a major stud. Stallings said Ogilvy is a scorer, and that's another reason why Vandy has plenty of hope.
"This team has a chance to be as good as last year's team," said Vandy coach Kevin Stallings, whose Commodores were a non-travel call away from beating Jeff Green and Georgetown (66-65 loss) in the Sweet 16 in New Jersey last March.
"We just think we're better in some areas than a year ago," Stalling said.
Guard play will be the strength. So too will be the attitude, the desire to once again prove that the Commodores are a viable SEC title contender.
"I just like our team, and we've got a chance to be similar to where we were a year ago," Stallings said.
If that's the case, then the SEC better mark Nashville as one of the toughest road stops of the season.
Stallings has a solid schedule to pile up the wins, especially early. (Oh, by the way, no one at Vandy is sweating too much the abrupt transfer decision this fall of sophomore JeJuan Brown.) Vandy plays 12 of its first 14 games at home, with the only road games at Toledo and DePaul, both winnable. The home slate is clearly manageable, with the toughest games being Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.
Vandy also caught a mini-break with the conference schedule. Against the top two SEC West teams, the Dores will get Mississippi State at home but have to go on the road to play Arkansas.
Final nuggets
• Memphis coach John Calipari had ESPN analyst and former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz talk to the team last week when Holtz was in town to broadcast the Memphis-Marshall football game.
"He talked about the challenges and to be aware of them and how we'll be chased by everybody," Calipari said. "He was really, really good. Our guys were real responsive. I really like this group. They really want to do it. They're really into it."
Calipari is looking for all sorts of motivational tactics for the Tigers, who will be a consensus top-three preseason team and are one of the favorites to win the national title.
• Texas coach Rick Barnes said D.J. Augustin's maturation as a leader has been his most impressive improvement over the summer. Barnes said Augustin spent time this summer working out with T.J. Ford and Royal Ivey, two pros, and was taught, or rather absorbed, how much he must talk and communicate on the court.
"That's where he has made great strides," Barnes said.
"There's no question that players look up to D.J.," Barnes added.
Barnes hasn't been shy about promoting Augustin, who was named the Big 12's preseason Player of the Year on Tuesday, as the top point guard in the country this season. Remember, this is the same Barnes who was adamant a year ago that Kevin Durant would be the best player in the country, not just the top freshman.
• Florida's biggest concern is its lack of size and strength in the post after relying on Al Horford and Chris Richard the past three seasons. Assistant coach Larry Shyatt said that the noticeable difference in body type in the post will be an evolving issue this season. If there has been one pleasant surprise so far it has been the play of 6-8 freshman Alex Tyus, who may become more of a factor this season than originally thought. The go-to guy in the post will be 6-10 Marreese Speights.
• Levance Fields, fresh off a two-week suspension following an arrest for aggravated assault, public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, is apparently in the best shape of his career with the Panthers. Fields was banned from all basketball-related activities around the program during his suspension (he's heading to court Oct. 26 after authorities dropped all charges, except for simple assault, following his scuffle with police last month). The Panthers will need Fields to be in top shape to run their offense, one that will include plenty of dump-down passes to freshman DaJuan Blair. Blair's aptitude for Jamie Dixon's system and his overall work ethic have been welcomed so far at Pitt.
• Stallings, by the way, is real. There is no phoniness to him. So, it's refreshing when you hear how Stallings spent his summer. I remember one time in July when one of his assistants said that he wasn't on the road because he was with his son's baseball team. That's right, Stallings made sure he was also watching his son Jacob play baseball on his AAU circuit this summer. Jacob, a catcher, ultimately got a scholarship to North Carolina where he will play next year. Meanwhile, Stallings also spent plenty of time working with his 13-year-old daughter Alexa as she rehabbed from a deep bone bruise on her knee that she suffered last year while trying out for a travel soccer team. Stallings worked with Alexa this summer on her ball skills, helping her rehab from the injury and preparing her to play again.
"That's what I've been doing other than recruiting," said the proud father. "I did a lot of that this summer, and the parents of the recruits understood."
Andy Katz
